Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, leader of Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa cartel, arrested in Texas, officials say

The leader and co-founder of Mexico’s notorious Sinaloa cartel, along with the son of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, were arrested Thursday by the FBI, federal authorities announced.

The Justice Department confirmed that Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez were arrested in El Paso, Texas. No details about the arrests were immediately available.

“The Justice Department has taken into custody two additional alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.      

Zambada was arrested after having been a U.S. fugitive for many years. The State Department in 2016 had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.

The Tijuana-based Sinaloa cartel is one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal organizations. Zambada founded the cartel along with “El Chapo,” who was captured in 2016 and is currently serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison in the U.S. after being convicted on charges including drug trafficking and money laundering.

Last year, federal prosecutors in the U.S. unsealed criminal charges against 28 members and associates of Sinaloa — including the three sons of Guzmán — accusing them of orchestrating a transnational fentanyl trafficking operation into the United States. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Justice Department officials blamed the defendants for the loss of hundreds of thousands of American lives from fentanyl.

— Robert Legare and Andres Triay contributed to this report.

This is a breaking news update. Please check back for developments.